Ovis Akpowowo
Manchester
Summary
Senior Risk Management professional with 16 years of experience leading enterprise and project risk management across large-scale nuclear, infrastructure, and complex capital development programmes. Currently Senior Risk Manager at Cavendish Nuclear, responsible for establishing, embedding, and enhancing robust risk management frameworks within high-value, safety-critical environments. Highly experienced in quantitative and qualitative risk assessment, governance, mitigation planning, and executive decision support. Proven ability to embed proactive risk cultures, strengthen organisational risk maturity, and support successful delivery of complex, multi-stakeholder projects. Experience directly transferable to giga-project and PIF-led portfolios, including Qiddiya.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work history
Senior Risk Manager
Cavendish Nuclear
2024.06 - 2026.01
- Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of risk management frameworks across complex nuclear and infrastructure programmes.
- Provide strategic oversight to project and programme teams on risk identification, evaluation, prioritisation, and mitigation across the full project lifecycle.
- Establish, govern, and maintain project risk registers, ensuring clear ownership, escalation, and transparent reporting to senior leadership and governance boards.
- Develop and implement effective risk response strategies, translating probabilistic risk analysis into actionable mitigation plans.
- Facilitate risk workshops, reviews, and training, strengthening organisational risk capability across multidisciplinary teams.
- Monitor compliance with corporate risk standards and regulatory requirements, recommending enhancements aligned to evolving project dynamics.
- Partner with executive leadership, commercial, planning, engineering, and assurance teams to embed a proactive, integrated risk management culture.
- Key Achievements
- Supported delivery of high-value, high-risk nuclear programmes through structured risk governance and mitigation planning.
- Enhanced executive decision-making through improved risk dashboards and exposure reporting.
- Increased organisational risk maturity through standardised methodologies, tools, and training initiatives.
Senior Risk Manager/ Risk Management Specialist
Various Engineering and Management Consultancies
Manchester
2010.01 - Current
- Delivered risk management across nationally significant UK infrastructure programmes, including light and heavy rail, highways, and electricity transmission, within complex, regulated, multi-stakeholder environments.
- Delivered quantitative and qualitative risk assessments for major infrastructure, engineering, and construction projects.
- Performed schedule and cost risk analysis, scenario modelling, and Monte Carlo simulations to support investment and delivery decisions.
- Maintained and analysed risk registers, identifying emerging risks, trends, and systemic exposures.
- Integrated risk outputs with planning and cost teams to inform programme schedules, contingency strategies, and budgets.
- Contributed to the development and continuous improvement of risk governance frameworks, policies, and procedures.
Education
MSc - Safety Engineering & Risk Management
University of Aberdeen
United KingdomBEng - Mechanical Engineering
[University Name]
[Country]Skills
- Enterprise & Project Risk Management Frameworks
- Quantitative & Qualitative Risk Assessment (QRA / QSRA)
- Risk Registers, Governance & Executive Reporting
- Risk Mitigation & Response Strategy Development
- Cost & Schedule Risk Analysis (CSRA)
- Large-Scale Infrastructure & Capital Projects
- Engineering, Safety & Technical Risk
- Compliance, Controls & Assurance
- Senior Stakeholder & Executive Engagement
- Primavera Risk Analysis
- Active Risk Manager / @RISK
- Primavera P6, MS Project
- Power BI, Advanced Excel
- Probabilistic Risk & Monte Carlo Modelling
- Executive and board-level risk reporting
- Cross-functional and multidisciplinary leadership
- Stakeholder engagement at all organisational levels
- Risk workshops, facilitation, and training delivery
Certification
- Oracle University – Primavera Risk Analysis Certificate
- Association for Project Management (APM) – Project Management Qualification (PMQ)
Timeline
Senior Risk Manager
Cavendish Nuclear
2024.06 - 2026.01
Senior Risk Manager/ Risk Management Specialist
Various Engineering and Management Consultancies
2010.01 - Current
BEng - Mechanical Engineering
[University Name]
MSc - Safety Engineering & Risk Management
University of Aberdeen